


High School: A Hellscape Without Parole

by QueenKatelynTheAristocrat



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Best Friends, Cute, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22355554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenKatelynTheAristocrat/pseuds/QueenKatelynTheAristocrat
Summary: "Gerard had been afraid something like this would happen. All week, his little brother Mikey had been acting like nothing was wrong... And every time Gerard had tried to bring up the start of the school year, Mikey had just changed the subject... And Gerard hadn’t had the heart to push him. And now, he was fucking mad at himself for being such a goddamn softie, because they had inevitably arrived at the first day of Mikey’s Freshman year of high school and Mikey had gone and locked himself in Gerard and Mikey’s shared room, and was refusing to open the door for either Gerard or their mother."Otherwise known as: Mikey is scared to start high school, Gerard is trying to be a supportive brother, and Frank just might be the only one who can convince Mikey that high school just might be something they can survive, as long as they stick together.A cute pre-slash best friend fic to brighten your day.
Relationships: Frank Iero/Mikey Way
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	High School: A Hellscape Without Parole

Gerard had been afraid something like this would happen. 

All week, his little brother Mikey had been acting like nothing was wrong. He’d spent the last week of summer like he had spent all the weeks before it: playing video games, watching movies, reading comic books, begging Gerard for cigarettes and pouting when Gerard withheld them because Mikey was  _ too young  _ to get addicted to Nicotine, damn it. 

And every time Gerard had tried to bring up the start of the school year, Mikey had just changed the subject, put in his headphones, distracted Gee in some other way, always managing to get out of the conversation by knowing exactly how to make his older brother feel enough anger or pity or whatever to get him to leave him alone. And Gerard hadn’t had the heart to push him. 

And now, he was fucking  _ mad  _ at himself for being such a goddamn softie, because they had inevitably arrived at the first day of Mikey’s Freshman year of high school -- Gerard’s Senior year -- and Mikey had gone and locked himself in Gerard and Mikey’s shared room, and was refusing to open the door for either Gerard or their mother, despite the fact that Gerard’s stuff was in there as well, and even if it wasn’t, there was absolutely no way Gerard was leaving for school without him. 

That was just the kind of older brother he was. Nevermind the fact that Gerard had AP Art first block this year and was actually looking  _ forward  _ to it for once,  _ Thanks, Mikey,  _ for probably making him late on the first day when he wanted the teacher to  _ like  _ him. 

But that wasn’t important right now, and neither was Gerard’s regret over leaving this conversation for the very last minute. What mattered right now was getting Mikey out of that room, and if Gerard sounded angry or upset in any way, it would only make that process more drawn out and difficult. 

Even though Gerard was not mad at Mikey for this at all, he knew his little brother would interpret Gerard’s annoyance at himself as directed at him instead, which would only make Mikey more determined to keep himself locked in that room for the rest of the day, or at least until they were late enough to render actually going to school pretty much useless. 

So if Gerard wanted to get him to open the door, he was going to have to be patient and understanding. Alright. He could do that. 

“Mikey, we’re gonna be late, you know.” Gerard said, knocking on the door, careful to keep his tone casual and supportive. 

When no answer was forthcoming, Gerard glanced at their mother, who stood beside him in the hallway, wearing an expression of worry that Gerard was absolutely sure his own face was mirroring. 

Gerard closed his eyes for a second and lowered his forehead to the door, praying to Kurt Cobain for strength and wisdom and generally wallowing in self-pity. 

But when he heard their mother start to say, “Mikey --” Gerard shook his head at her and tried to convey “I got this” using only his eyebrows. 

She didn’t look happy about it, but eventually their mom stepped back from the door and made the universally accepted gesture for “Go ahead, then.” 

Gerard rolled his eyes, but took a deep breath and said, “It’s not as bad as you think it is, I promise.” 

Their mom raised an eyebrow, and Gerard gave her a death glare. Yeah, alright, no way Mikey was gonna buy that when Gerard had spent literally the last three years complaining about how high school was a hellscape without parole. 

Looking back on it, perhaps that hadn’t been the best of ideas. Hindsight was always 20/20. 

And sure enough, a few seconds later came Mikey’s voice saying, “Yeah, right, Gee.” 

His voice sounded close but muffled, which Gerard took to mean that he was probably sitting on the floor of the room with his back to the door. Gerard could picture him now, knees pulled up to his chest, head down and hands held tightly together.  _ God,  _ Mikey, why can’t you ever just talk about your feelings? 

“Alright, so it’s pretty fucking awful. But you’ll be alright. Frank will be there. Ray and I will be there.” Gerard answered, knowing that wouldn’t be enough to get Mikey out of the room in and of itself. Frank was Mikey’s best friend and Ray was Gerard’s, but it wasn’t like either of them were all that good as protection from the twin horrors of bullies and the indomitable monotony of everyday high school life. 

Perhaps he could convince Mikey that they would be, though. “You know, they say big dudes in letterman jackets are actually the biggest pussies of all time, and won’t confront you if you travel in groups.” 

Complete bullshit, but maybe he’d buy it. 

Mikey snorted, “Or you just make yourself into a more noticeable target.” 

No dice. Time for some hard, irrefutable logic. 

“You know if you don’t go today that you’ll just have to go tomorrow, instead?” Gerard tried. 

“Can’t I just do internet school or something?” Mikey answered, so earnestly that Gerard could tell he was actually considering it a possibility. 

Gerard sighed and took a step back. He gestured to their mom to follow him and walked a few feet down the hallway toward the stairs. Once they were out of earshot, Gerard ran a hand through his hair in frustration and said, “Once he gets like this there’s no moving him unless I can see him face to face.” 

He knew Mikey was hiding because he hated feeling emotionally vulnerable, and if he had to meet Gerard’s eyes he would start spilling -- his guts and his tears -- immediately, which he would do his very best to avoid for as long as possible. 

“If only I’d forced him to talk to me last night.” Gerard said, letting his anger show now that Mikey couldn’t hear him. 

“Well, I have to get to work before I’m late for my first appointment.” said their mother, who worked as a hair stylist at a place in town. 

“Yeah, and we have class in forty five minutes, and the drive there’ll take at least ten, nevermind enough time to get our stuff in our lockers and actually find our fucking classes.” Gerard said, gesturing in a “tell me something I  _ don’t  _ already know” sort of way. 

Their mother sighed and nearly rubbed a hand over her face before remembering her makeup at the last second and changing her mind, placing both hands at her temples for a second instead. Then she clasped her hands together in front of her chest and said, “You  _ know _ we can just break into that room with a screwdriver to pick the lock.” 

Gerard was shaking his head before she even finished, “No no no no no, if we invade his privacy like that he’ll just close off completely and I won’t get him out unless I  _ drag  _ him to the car, which I really don’t want to do today, as fun as it sounds.” 

“Well, I don’t know what else you want me to  _ do,  _ Gerard.” their mother said, just a bit too loudly, and when Gerard glanced anxiously at the door, she rolled her eyes. “You baby him far too much.” 

Gerard gave her a look, and said, “Careful, or you’ll start sounding like Dad.” 

Their mother took a deep breath like she was trying very hard to reign in her temper. “I’m sorry, you’re right.” 

Gerard nodded his acceptance, and she continued, “So if we can’t break in there -- as much as I would prefer to just get this over with -- we’ve gotta convince him to open the door himself, and in about five minutes that becomes a task you’re going to have to undertake by yourself, because I really do have to get to work.” 

Gerard sighed again. “That brings us back where we started. Nothing I can possibly say to him right now will get him to--” 

Gerard had a realization. 

“What?” asked their mother, recognizing the look on her oldest son’s face. 

“What did we do when he was in 6th grade and came home with a black eye and wouldn’t tell us what happened?” Gerard asked, already grabbing his cellphone out of his pocket, thanking fucking  _ shit  _ that he’d brought it with him when he went to get his coffee this morning. 

Gerard was already dialing by the time their mother said, “Frank Iero.” with a look of appreciation for Gerard’s genius, so he just nodded enthusiastically in response. 

Thankfully, Frank picked up on the third ring, “Sup, Gee?” he answered, sounding distracted and more than a bit nervous himself. 

“Please tell me your mother hasn’t dropped you off at school already.” Gerard asked, skipping straight over the pleasantries.

“...No, I’m taking my bike today. Why, is everything alright?” he asked, wary, like he already knew the answer to that question wouldn’t be one he liked. 

“Thank  _ fucking  _ shit.” Gerard said, waving his mother off when she raised an eyebrow at him. Frank’s house was much closer than school was, meaning they might not be very late after all, if everybody got their act together right away. “Mikey’s locked himself in our room and refuses to come out or let me in.” 

“Fucking  _ shit,  _ Mikey.” Frank said, like that was exactly what he expected. “I’ll be over in ten.” 

“No no no, stay where you are, my mom will come pick you up on her way to work and drop you back here, and I’ll drive you to school after.” Gerard said, in the interest of saving time. 

Their mom groaned in long suffering misery, but Gerard just raised an eyebrow that proclaimed her dramatic and told her to suck it up all at the same time. 

“Alright, cool.” said Frank, “I’ll just grab the rest of my stuff and wait outside, and you see what you can do to lure Mikey out with some coffee before I get there, ok?” 

Before Gerard could answer the affirmative, he had already hung up, so Gerard just let the phone fall to his side with a sigh and said, “You better get going.” to their mom, who he permitted to kiss him on the head before she headed down the stairs to get her keys and her purse. 

As she headed out, Gerard heard her yell, “Good luck with Mikey and with school, honey.” followed by the wind whooshing as she forcefully shut the door. 

Gerard allowed himself one moment to ask himself why the  _ fuck  _ this was his life, before he headed downstairs to get the coffee like Frank had suggested. Once he got to the coffee pot, he contemplated the machine for a second before just sighing and grabbing the whole ass thing as well as Mikey’s favorite mug, which read “Mikey-Fucking-Way” in big black letters -- a birthday present from Gerard that past year, which their mother had pretended to disapprove of, even though it was clear she found it just as hilarious as they did -- and headed back up the stairs. 

Once he got to the door of their room, he knocked once with his elbow and said, “Mikes, I have about three cups worth of coffee, which you can have just as soon as you open this door.” 

“Not worth it.” Mikey said from inside, voice muffled like he was speaking into something. Gerard figured he had gotten his pillow and a blanket and was now camping out in front of the door, fully convinced he was staying there all day. 

“Really?” Gerard asked, holding the mug close to the crack in the door and pouring coffee into it, hoping Mikey could hear from the other side, “Not even for coffee?” 

“If I’m just gonna sleep all day, I don’t need it anyway.” Mikey answered, and though Gerard couldn’t see him shrugging, he could hear it in his voice. 

“Fine then, I’ll just drink it all myself.” Gerard said, which wasn’t a totally empty threat. If he was going to get through this, he could use a bit more caffeine in his system. 

“I can just make more later, once we’re too late for school to consider going.” Mikey answwered, and Gerard felt both vindicated and annoyed to learn that he’d been right about Mikey’s plan all along. 

With another sigh -- he was sighing a lot today -- Gerard put both the mug and the coffee pot down on the floor against the wall where they wouldn’t be knocked over when the door -- hopefully -- opened. 

Gerard resigned himself to try one last time before Frank got here, and knelt down in front of the door himself, resting his hands and his forehead against the door, and said, “Mikey, come on, please let me in. Mom’s gone now, it’s just me. How many times have you seen me cry? Or, or, just upset and unsure what to do about it? You know I won’t judge you. Please?” 

Gerard heard shuffling on the other side of the door, and let himself hope -- stupidly -- for a second that Mikey was going to open the door, but then he said, “I can’t, Gee. I’m sorry. I just can’t.” and Gerard realized he’d just been sitting up so he could face the door as well. 

“If you let me in, we can talk about why that is.” Gerard said, trying to keep his voice reassuring, but it must not have been enough, because his words received no reply. 

After about a minute of them just sitting there in silence, Gerard heard the front door opening again, and jumped to his feet, hoping to meet Frank before he made it upstairs, only doubling back once to grab the abandoned mug of coffee. 

The two met at the foot of the stairs, and without preamble, Gerard said, “It’s bad. He won’t open the door, even for coffee. He won’t talk to me either, not even through the door. You’re our only hope Frankie.” and with that, he handed Frank the mug of coffee and gestured for him to head upstairs. 

Frank took the mug, assessed it for a second, then looked up and met Gerard’s eyes and said, “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. I think I got this. You just wait around on the stairs for a minute, ok? Once I convince him to leave the room I might need your help.” 

Gerard just nodded, and as Frank sighed and headed up the stairs, he said, “You got this!” quietly enough that Mikey wouldn’t hear, and Frank smiled at him over his shoulder before turning the corner into the hallway. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As he approached the door to Mikey and Gerard’s bedroom, Frank twisted the mug of coffee in his hands and considered what he was going to say. If he were Gerard, no doubt he’d think of some clever argument, some heartfelt plea, to try and convince Mikey to let him in, but since he was just Frank -- and besides, Gee had tried that already, to no avail -- all he could think of was, “Mikes, it’s me, let me in.” 

“Frank?” asked Mikey, from inside. 

“No, it’s fucking Billy Corgan. Of course it’s Frank, now open the fucking door.” Frank answered, but without venom. 

When that received no reaction, Frank said, “Come on Mikes, if you don’t, I’ll just break in there, you know I will.” 

At that, Mikey sighed, and a moment later, Frank heard the lock click open. Frank pushed the door open immediately before Mikey could change his mind. The moment Frank was through, Mikey pushed him to the side and locked the door again, then sat down in front of it, making it clear that neither of them were going anywhere anytime soon, if he had anything to say about it. 

Frank just looked at him for a moment, then sat down across from him and said, “What the fuck are you doing, Mikey?” in a gentler voice than before. 

Mikey just shrugged and met Frank’s eyes with a blank stare which anyone else -- besides Gee -- would take for indifference, but luckily, Frank saw right through it. 

“Mikey.” Frank said, like a parent asking a kid to tell the truth, and just like always, it worked like a charm. 

“I don’t  _ know,  _ Frank. I just… I don’t know.” Mikey said, then hid his face against his knees. 

Frank studied him for a minute, nervously turning the coffee cup he still held round and round in his hands while he thought. “It’s just fucking high school, man,” he said, eventually, “We’ve made it this far.” 

Mikey scoffed. “Sounds like the start of a horror movie. ‘It’s just the forest. What could possibly go wrong? Let’s just take a casual stroll into these woods in the middle of the night and see if there’s any axe murderers waiting for us.’” 

Frank gave a half-hearted chuckle and said, “What do you want me to say, Mikes? It’s gonna be fucking awful and they’re gonna treat us like shit, but we have to do it anyway? I’m scared, too, you know.” 

Mikey sighed and said, “I know, I’m sorry. Fuck. I just… I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Frankie.” 

Frank took a deep breath and put the coffee mug on the ground, then moved so he was sitting side by side with Mikey, then said, “Nothing’s wrong with you, shithead. Remember that one time at that amusement park thing, when you wanted to go on that giant roller coaster, but I was being a pussy about it, so you had to drag me over and force me to stay in line, and I threw up after but I was still super glad you made me do it? This is like that.” 

Mikey gave a sad laugh and said, “I’d rather not fucking puke on my first day of high school, but besides that, I guess I get what you mean. Fucking Hell, I’m supposed to be the brave one.” 

“Hey, I can’t let you have all the glory, can I? I’ve gotta be the hero sometimes, too.” Frank said, and Mikey finally looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. 

“You sure you don’t wanna just stay in here and join in my evil plan of making Gerard late to his first day of Senior year?” Mikey asked. 

Frank was fucking glad to hear him joking around, but tried his best to keep his relief out of his voice as he said, “Your brother is losing his shit, dude. He’s trying to pretend like he’s not, but he totally is.” 

Mikey started giggling at that, and said, “He’s probably losing his goddamn mind out there, waiting to see if you can get me out of this room.” 

They both laughed for a minute, but Frank was fully serious again as he said, “Can I get you out of this room?” 

Mikey looked at him as earnest as Frank’s ever seen him, and said, “It’s gonna fucking suck, Frankie. People in this town don’t like people like us.” 

“I know. But we can do it together. And besides, we’ve still got Gerard and Ray this year, and they’ve survived to their last year, haven’t they?” Frank answered, doing his best to match the sincerity his best friend was showing him. 

Mikey scoffed, “Fucking barely. But you’re right. If worst comes to worst I’ll just put my headphones in and my hood up and let you lead me through the suffocating mass of humanity.” 

Frank smiled, “That’s the spirit.” Then jumped to his feet and reached a hand down to Mikey in offering. Mikey took it with a smile and let Frank pull him to his feet, even though Frank was shorter than him by a good four inches. 

Frank went to open the door, but before he could, Mikey grabbed him in a hug that was over before Frank really realized it had started, and mumbled, “Thanks, Frankie.” 

Frank considered his best friend, standing there blushing and ducking his chin down, and figured that right now, before they went out there to meet Gerard, would be the only chance he’d get to do this, so he grabbed Mikey in a better hug before he could back away, and said, “Anytime, Mikeyway.” 

Mikey tensed up, but after a second he hugged back, and they just stood there for a couple seconds, clinging to each other, terrified but not alone, and Frank didn’t know about Mikey, but he really wished he had the power to stop time right at that moment, cause he would gladly live there forever. 

When they finally let go, Frank said, “Alright, let’s get this shit on the road.” and pulled open the door. 

Frank went to head out, but Mikey said, “Wait!” and ducked back into the room to grab the coffee mug that Frank had abandoned -- and was probably getting cold by now, not that Mikey cared, since he immediately chugged half of it in one gulp -- as well as Gerard’s book bag, which Mikey had packed for him after he locked the door. Hey, at least no one could say he was a shitty brother. 

“Alright, let’s go.” Mikey said, leading the way out the door, and Frank rolled his eyes fondly at him before following, watching as Mikey stopped to pick up the coffee pot as well, already pouring his second cup, which he finished before they even made it down the stairs. 

At the bottom of the staircase, they met Gerard, who had clearly heard them coming and stood up, and Mikey immediately handed him his stuff and poured the last of the coffee into the mug before handing that to him as well, then ran to put the coffee pot back where it belonged and gather his things. 

Frank went to stand next to Gerard, who took a long gulp of the coffee, before turning to him and asking, “Mind sharing how the fuck you did that?” 

Frank smirked and said, “A magician never reveals his secrets.” with some stupid hand gestures that earned an eye roll from Gerard, and before Gerard could ask any more questions, Mikey was standing in the doorway smiling nervously at him, and all Frank could do was smile back. 

Mikey looked away, nearly blushing, and Gerard caught his eye, took a sip of coffee, and gave him a knowing look that Frank couldn’t hope to interpret. 

Mikey must have gotten it through bizarre brother telepathy, though, because he blushed full on this time and muttered, “Shut up.” 

“Did I say anything?” Gerard asked, clearly teasing, though Frank really couldn’t tell about what. 

Mikey just flipped him off and put his hood up, then folded his arms. 

Frank glanced between them, eyebrow raised, and said, “What did I miss?” 

Mikey got weirdly nervous for a second, and then Gererd said, “Don’t worry about it, Frankie.” and Mikey looked up at his brother in clear relief. 

Gerard chuckled and went over to hug him, whispered something in his ear that Frank couldn’t hear, but Mikey nodded to. Gerard said, “Good.” then pulled Mikey’s hood back down and stepped back. 

Gerard started walking towards the door, pulled his keys out of his pocket and dumping the coffee mug in the sink, and said, “Come on Frosh, we’re gonna be late.” then walked out the door without making sure they were following. 

Frank and Mikey exchanged a glance, then followed him out the door, both climbing into the backseat of Gerard’s car without discussion, and Gerard glanced back to make sure they were both wearing their seatbelts, before pulling away from the curb. 

“Music, please!” Mikey demanded, and Gerard said, “Wait, wait, most demanding of little brothers.” lighting a cigarette and rolling down the window before pressing play on the CD player and turning up the volume, and Mikey leaned back and took a deep breath as The Misfits blasted from the speakers loud enough to drown out all their thoughts. 

Frank just looked at him for a second, then leaned closer to bump Mikey’s shoulder with his. 

Mikey looked over at him and smiled, the late summer sun lighting up his face from through the window, and just for a moment, Frank let himself believe that they would be just fine. After all, they always had each other. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments make my day! <3


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